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www.ascpskincare.com 47 expertadvice BUSINESS BASICS Rock Your Retail Follow these 3 tips for retail marketing, and products will magically fly off the shelves by Lori Crete Retailing is a must to achieve fabulous results, so don't underestimate your ability to help someone look and feel beautiful. By simply changing your mind- set from "selling" to helping, you can raise both your profits and your clients' satisfaction. 1. FESTIVITY Create your very own holiday and give your clients a celebratory reason to purchase home-care products. A few celebration ideas are Girls' Night Out, Gratitude Sale, My Birthday Party (celebrating the birthday of your business opening or your actual birthday), or Home-Care Help Retail Revival (offering custom home-care regimens and special pricing on packages). Boost your sales and get some free advertising by encouraging your clients to bring a friend. Offer a small gift to those who do. Ask your vendors for marketing support and gift bag goodies. Most skin care companies will be happy to send a product rep to your event, which will further support successful retail sales. During the event, feature best-selling items at a small discount and get some limited-time retail items (such as seasonal scented candles or winter spa robes) to create a "buy now" sense of urgency. 2. FAVOR Perhaps you struggle with the idea that selling product is pushy, salesy, or aggressive. If so, it's time to shift your mind-set. It's time to approach retailing as if you are doing your clients a favor. It is hugely important to do favors for those who frequent your business; when you recognize this truth, you will sell more. The Favor Retailing Method was brought into my spa when I realized that one of my best clients had stopped purchasing retail from me and I could not figure out why. One day a client was on my spa table getting a facial and her phone rang. She answered and ordered $1,000 in facial products from a major department store sales clerk (who was a savvy sales gal, but not a licensed esthetician). From what I could tell, the sales clerk was just selling and not really educated on the needs of my client's specific skin type. This got me thinking that I was not doing my client any favors by not paying special attention to her needs. I realized this client loved the fact that someone was giving her special attention and checking up on her, and because she felt favored she was more than happy to purchase whatever this sales clerk recommended to her. The lesson: you will sell more when you look at retailing as doing your clients a favor. Following are three ways to create a Favor Retailing Method. Send a letter before you place an order Send an email and inform clients that you are placing a retail order and how important it is to you that you stock their favorites. Ask them to hit reply and let you know what they need. Call a handful of your most loyal clients when you get something new and share the juicy details with them. Women love new stuff and being in the know, so get clients excited by sharing what they can look forward to during their next visit to your treatment room. Ship for free This requires sacrificing a bit of your time and money, but you will sell more if you offer a higher standard of customer care and the convenience of free shipping. 3. FOLLOW UP Following are a couple of ways to create a retail follow-up system that is full of benefits for you and your customers. First, know the average usage span of your retail products, as this allows you to follow up with existing clients and let them know it's time to replenish. Many online booking systems will help you keep track of the details surrounding client purchases and all you have to do is scroll through the notes and send out a reminder email or text that sounds something like, "Hi Judy, my records show that you are probably close to running out of dermal moisture cream, and I'm reaching out because I want your skin to continue to look and feel amazing. Please let me know if you want to swing by and pick up some more, or take advantage of my free shipping special." I have also created a four-day retail follow-up system at my spa where practitioners simply touch base with customers four days after a product purchase. Making contact ensures the client is using the product correctly, builds client loyalty, and can trigger more sales.